SYDNEY, 29 September 2022: The Tax Institute is excited to announce the finalists of the 2022 Tax Adviser of the Year Awards, a stellar line-up of tax professionals going above and beyond in their daily practice.

The Tax Institute’s President, Jerome Tse, CTA, says, ‘A huge congratulations to all our finalists. The tax profession continues to do outstanding work amid some major changes and disruptions. We’re thrilled to take this chance to recognise some of the outstanding contributions made this year.’ 

Chartered Tax Adviser of the Year

Anothony Mulveney, CTA – Partner, KPMG

Tony has more than 30 years’ experience and an intimate knowledge of the taxation aspects of the real estate and funds management industry.  He advises on a wide-ranging number of issues affecting both domestic operations and international investments.

Kenneth Woo, CTA – Partner, PwC

Ken was admitted into partnership at PwC in 1999 and for over 20 years has held subject matter and industry roles with the firm, and has been extensively involved in working groups, committees and private consultation with Government and industry bodies.

Chris Wookey, CTA – Specialist Tax Adviser, Chirs Wookey CA

Chris operates his own specialist tax consulting practice after previously having been a principal in the tax consulting division of Deloitte Private in Melbourne. A finalist in The Tax Institute’s Tax Adviser of the Year Awards for 2020, he has over 30 years’ experience in the chartered accounting profession and is chair of The Tax Institute’s national SME Technical Committee and its representative on the ATO’s Private Groups Stewardship Group. 

Emerging Tax Star of the Year

George Bishop – Associate, Allens

George is an emerging talent within the Allens Tax team. As an Associate, George practices across direct and indirect taxes, international tax issues, and tax disputes. He has notable experience in banking and structured finance arrangements, transfer pricing, thin capitalisation, withholding tax, corporate restructures and charity tax issues.

David Blight, ATI – Senior Associate, KwM

David Blight is a Senior Associate in the tax and litigation teams at King & Wood Mallesons, with a focus on transfer pricing and Part IVA disputes, among others. He previously worked at Ernst & Young, specialising in indirect tax with a focus on GST and stamp duty.

Emy Chee – Senior Accountant, HLB Mann Judd

Emy is a well-rounded tax accountant specialising in corporate taxation issues for foreign-owned companies and large businesses. Emy began her career while working at a boutique accounting firm during university, which sparked an interest in the tax profession. Since starting her role at HLB, Emy has worked closely with a range of businesses to deliver the best results for her clients.

Mark Peters, ATI – Solicitor, Herbert Smith Freehills

Mark advises on the stamp duty implications of a broad range of commercial transactions and provides specialist resettlement and trust law advice to trustees. He also assists clients to implement transactions and attend to compliance with duty lodgement obligations. 

Tax Adviser of the Year – Accountant

Stephen Holmes, CTA – Partner, WMS Chartered Accountants

Stephen has been practicing as an accountant since he was 1987 and has had a focus on tax since 1994. He specialises in all SME tax matters with a particular interest in the CGT small business concessions, tax effective restructures and Division 7A.  

Shirley Lam – Director, KPMG

Shirley specialises in infrastructure, energy and corporates and has advised on some of Australia’s largest transactions and projects.  Shirley has a strong brand and reputation in this market as an advisor who builds trusted relationships and brings specialist expertise, leveraging deep thinking to deliver strategic and commercially focused tax advice.

Tax Adviser of the Year – Lawyer

Shaun Cartoon, FTI – Arnold Bloch Leibler

Shaun is a creative and commercially focused tax lawyer. He is a partner of Arnold Bloch Leibler’s tax practice. Shaun advises a range of clients, including ASX listed companies, high-net-worth individuals and large private groups. Shaun practices in corporate, international and employment taxes, with particular expertise in mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructures and employee share schemes. He also assists clients to navigate complex tax disputes with the Australian Taxation Office and has litigated significant cases through the Australian courts.

Shaun says, ‘Working in the tax profession provides many outstanding opportunities. I’m delighted to be nominated as a finalist in The Tax Adviser of the Year Awards alongside the other finalists who are making a valuable contribution to our tax community.’

David Earl, FTI – Partner, PwC

David is a Partner in the Corporate Tax group of PwC Melbourne and is a member of The Tax Institute’s National Council and Victorian State Council. David’s focus is on M&A and international tax, and he has 20 years experience servicing both inbound and outbound multinational groups across a broad range of industry sectors. David was previously also seconded to the International Tax Services group of PwC Netherlands where he provided a mix of Dutch, Australian and European tax advice to a broad range of international clients.

Inhouse Tax Adviser of the Year

Chris Merjane, FTI – Senior Tax Counsel, ResMed

Rachit Dudhwala, FTI – Tax Manager, Transurban Group

Rachit is responsible for formulating and delivering Transurban’s risk management and tax strategy of its international operations and domestic trusts. He specialises in devising commercial financing structures for large scale infrastructure projects and delivering practical solutions to complex tax matters. 

Rachit says, ‘The tax profession is full of incredibly talented people and to be a part of this community is a wonderful thing. The Tax Advisor of the Year Award is bigger than any individual achievement as it illustrates the depth and capability of our profession; and so it is truly an honour to be recognised as a finalist for this award given the illustrious company with whom I share this privilege with.’

The Tax Adviser of the Year Awards are an opportunity to honour and showcase talented and dedicated tax professionals. The awards are judged by an independent expert panel that comprises leading members of the tax profession and set the benchmark in excellence for the tax profession in Australia.

Winners will be announced at The Tax Summit Gala Dinner on 20 October.

For more information on The Tax Summit and our line-up of more than 100 expert speakers, covering topics including economics, property, business, global tax developments and technology, please see the full program or get in touch.

ENDS